The nose is cocoa, chocolate with faint espresso but not a lot of roast. Pours very dark brown to black under a vigorous, finely bubbled, persistent, lacy light tan cap. The palate has chocolate flavors from the malts blending with the added chocolate flavors over a variety of grain flavors and hints of caramel. It finishes with lingering bittersweet chocolate flavors. Very well balanced. The texture is very creamy, close to a nitro beer and is very full bodied to chewy. The carbonation is very fine and soft.

Pours pitch black with a finger width foamy head. Head retention is mild. Lacing is decent. Dark chocolate, licorice and slight coffee aroma. Maltiness is more light bodied with a stronger black licorice taste. You can detect some dark chocolate smoothness. Hints of coffee at the end. Not much of a roasted taste, which I come to expect from Imperial stouts. A little too much licorice for my taste as well. It does hide the alcohol very well. Probably could have used some more aging to bring out the chocolate taste better.

Presentation: From a 12 oz long neck from a 4 pack with date. Says the 2014-2015 season.

Appearance: Like it says...black. I can't even see through it when I hold it up to a light. Maybe a little brown. Superb lacing that remains in it's place. Moderate carbonation is present but it's hard to see because of the black.

Smell: Coffee and yeast, fresh bread like smell.

Taste: Dark robust coffee, dark bitter chocolate, burnt malt undertones, some sweetness (that is thankfully fleeting), and then hops are present towards the end to complement the coffee and dark chocolate.

Overall: This is one of my favorite stouts. High ABV with a prefect pairing of chocolate and coffee. A lot of times these double stouts or high ABV stouts have a sickly sweet taste and aftertaste that prevails. This one avoids that brewing mistake and gives you what you want from a stout...something to get through the frigid cold of winter. I highly recommend this brew!